The Kingdom
The Kingdom was the first major villain group in the audio drama side-stories of R5 Central. Led by Gestalt, this faction of Hyper-Cybernetic beings were partly responsible for the events that led to Mike and Ai arriving in the year 2005 in the first place. Summary The Kingdom came to power in the early 50th Century, following a devastating invasion that would come to be known as The Four Days of Fire. Led by a hyper-cybernetic radical by the name of Gestalt, they managed to take over the world, crushing every defense in the process. They would remain in power for two years before the intervention of the rebellion known as the E-Vanguard. Led by a young man by the name of Mark Aegen, the group would go on to rally the surviving humans together to strike back in a war that would last eight years. The E-Vanguard would eventually gain the upper hand, thanks in part to the invention of the Tracer series. The Kingdom and the E-Vanguard would have their final standoff in Sydney, Australia. After a fierce battle, Mark Aegen sacrificed himself to destroy Gestalt, allowing his Tracer to be assimilated before detonating a Photon Bomb. However, this wasn't the last anybody would see of Gestalt. Saiba downloaded Gestalt's memory into a new body following the crippling defeat. After allowing humanity to rebuild, lulling them into a false sense of security, the Kingdom made their return. (Series 2, Episode 16) However, survivors of the E-Vanguard managed to turn the tide just as quickly. The Kingdom would once again take residence in Russia, the area people once called "No Man's Land" following their decimation of it. Another long eight-year war began. The final stand-off came in the E-Vanguard's Operation: Crusade campaign. Launching their finest Tracer squadrons, the Vanguard broke through the Kingdom's defense layers, infiltrating No Man's Land. After a six-hour battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties, the final blow to the Kingdom being dealt by pilots JC and Mike. As it would turn out, the final struggle of Operation: Crusade proved to be a diversionary tactic as Gestalt himself led an attack force on E-Vanguard Base 77, the last stronghold of the resistance forces. Gestalt himself would be responsible for the deaths of the main command staff, save for Jade Maxwell. Gestalt would be destroyed by an unknown mass that crushed and destroyed him, the resulting destruction releasing a wave of temporal feedback. The unknown mass would later be revealed to be the remnants of Gestalt lodged onto a heavily damaged DaiRaiGou Mark I. On that day, the E-Vanguard survivors declared the war with the Kingdom to finally be over, with no traces of their forces to be found anywhere on the planet. However, remnants of Kingdom tech and even Kingdom survivors have found their way into the past.... (Series 5, Episode 57) Timeline 4945: The individual who would become Gestalt begins his plans to "purify" the world with his own ideals. Over five years, Gestalt gains a following, dispatching his sleeper agents before undergoing cybernetic surgery. He then enters a period of Cold Sleep until..... 4972: Gestalt's sleeper agents activate, now placed in positions of power all over the world. Thanks to this, the Kingdom successfully takes over the world in four days. Gestalt is reawakened and begins his reign of terror, residsing in what used to be Russia, the area now being called "No Man's Land." 4974: The band of rebels who would be come to known as the E-Vanguard launch their first counter-offensive, converting underground S-Train tunnels into mass drivers to strike at the heart of the first Kingdom stronghold. This proves successful and marks the beginning of the movement. 4980: The Kingdom is finally cornered in Sydney, Australia. Gestalt's Armagod is finally destroyed via the sacrifice of the leader of the Vanguard, Mark Aegen. 4992: The Kingdom launches a surprise attack on the world, attempting to invade once more. The occupation lasts for two months before the E-Vanguard reassembles and fights them off. The war begins again. 5000: The E-Vangard launches Operation: Crusade, staging a final assault on No Man's Land. The Vanguard succeeds for the most part, destroying the last vestiges of the Kingdom but also suffering major casualties. Gestalt himself manages to download himself into another body and lays waste to the Vanguard HQ before being destroyed....by the remains of his future self and Mike. Appearances on R5 Central *Episodes 28-38 (Series 2 and 3) *Episode 58 (Series 5) See Also *Series Overview Category:Villains Category:Villains